THE PANTHER'S SACRIFICE
After that little horrific tale, I think we should move onto a story about a slightly more elegant and mysterious slaughter, don't you? In our next portrait we shall journey back in time once again to the ancient civilization of Egypt. This painting here depicts a ravishing young Egyptian woman, holding a pristine rose in her hand and white flowers decorating her raven-like hair. This young lady was certainly wealthy, as seen by the pure white dress made from only the finest silk she's outfitted in, and the lavish sofa she is reclining upon. This regal woman was far from just wealthy though; she ruled the entire land both in power and finances. She was Irisi, the cold-hearted princess of the sands who ruled over her kingdom with an iron fist. The Egyptians despised the princess and her reign did not last very long...but she still managed to have her revenge in the end. We bring young the story of Irisi: The Egyptian Princess.
IRISI:
THE EGYPTIAN PRINCESS
The lovely young Princess Irisi grew up in the lap of luxury in the ancient Egyptian civilization. She was the only daughter of Pharaoh Nebi and his wife Mie; the one who was destined to inherit the royal throne. The great Pharaoh Nebi had only ruled Egypt for a very brief amount of time, but was quickly loved by his people as he ruled the land with a kind and gracious nature. He listened intently to his followers and did his best to provide for them. The reign of Nebi was quickly wiped out however, as him and his wife both succumbed to the great sickness that was sweeping its way across the Egyptian kingdom. A new pharaoh needed to be brought into power of the land, and 14 year old Irisi was crowned the ruler of the small Egyptian village.
Having been accustomed to only the finest in her childhood, Irisi had only evolved into a spoiled and bratty young woman. She kept spending most of the royal family fortune on many frivolous items and luxury goods that only fed the Princess's greed. The girl was a vastly different ruler than that of her father, and cared little for the kingdom's people. She only saw them as a chance for them to be exploited for her own benefit, forcing them to construct enormous structures in her honor. The once loyal people now had come to despise the princess they had once loved.
A few months after being instated into power, a vicious pestilence soon ravaged over the land as a disease began to wipe out numerous amounts of animals and people. Cries from her followers begged Irisi for a way to help relieve them of the sickness that seemed to curse the land. For once, the spoiled Princess listened to the Egyptian people and proclaimed that only the gods would be able to help them.
The frantic villagers turned to their ancient religious scriptures, eager to find a way to banish the disease from choking their land. According to their primitive gospels, the only way to relieve a sickness such as this was to sacrifice their current pharaoh or leader to their great panther god that they worshiped since the beginning of the kingdom. Hearing of this, Irisi immediately refused to sacrifice herself to save the people. Irate that their leader stood in the way of their health, they attempted to storm the palace but were held back as the Princess commanded her guards to block all entryways. Finding no other available means of entering, some of the villagers climbed the palace's high walls and onto the balconies, where they succeeded in capturing Irisi in her barricaded chambers.
The poor woman screamed and kicked in vain to be released, as the people dragged her to the great holy temple to meet her fate. Tying her arms and legs to a large pole, they lit a fiery inferno of coal and wood in the pit of the ceremonial altar. The crowd chanted and furiously pounded on large drums to a steady haunting rhythm. The pounding continued to crescendo until it reached a thunderous climax that reverberated off the temple's high ceiling. In a second the drums and the chanting ceased, and all grew quiet in the large hall. The silence was shattered as the Princess Irisi let out a horrific scream as the high priests tossed the helpless and bound woman into the mouth of the pit. The people soon erupted into cheers of pure joy, hoping that with the woman's death the curse would be lifted off of the land.
But as the days rolled by, the disease continued to ravage everything in its path, hardly leaving any survivors within the kingdom. As time progressed, the pestilence seemed to grow more dire and turn the small village among the sand into a barren wasteland. Although, the most mysterious and devastating event to the people was still to come.
In the dark inky blackness of night, a sleek, mysterious creature made its way through the small kingdom. A creature that was black as the night itself snuck silently through the quiet streets, with its paws padding softly against the sand.
It wandered undetected along the dirt paths, before it finally made its way into one of the small dwellings of the village. The family within was awakened by a loud growling that grew louder until it finally erupted into a fierce roar. Bewildered and frightened, the innocent residents quickly tried to flee as the creature leapt. The family threw anything they could get their hands on at the large beast, but it seemed to merely shake them off and continued on its rampage to be rewarded its prize. It stared hungrily at the helpless villagers, its green eyes gleaming with the thought of its success. Seeing the doorway as the only escape, the family attempted to make their brake for freedom; only for it to be cut short as the feline creature bounded and pounced upon them. Digging its sharp claws into the backs of its helpless prey it growled with triumph before finally slaughtering them with its brute force.
Still not satisfied with its deed, the creature continued to make its way around the small civilization. It silently slipped in through windows or any openings it could find, before ripping and slashing the unsuspecting villagers silently in their sleep.
It wasn't until the next morning, that the remaining people had discovered the great massacre in many of the homes that were made by the silent killer. Everyone was completely baffled by the events, until one of the people who had been spared by the creature stood up and remarked that it looked like a large panther, but had the figure of a young woman as well. And from the last house that was mauled by the elusive creature, bloody paw prints made a path in the sand that only stopped in mid-tracks at a large ruby red pendant - the kind that only a pharaoh or a member of the royal Egyptian family were permitted to wear.
After the terrifying attack on the little village, the people moved away and abandoned the small civilization, leaving only small parts of it to ruin that still stand today. To this day, the mystery still has been unsolved; most people just shrugged it off as it being only some wild beast who had lost its way and wandered into the village. But there are many others who believe the creature to have been Irisi herself; reincarnated as a panther to seek her revenge against her traitorous people. Whatever the true identity of the creature is, people still believe the murderous beast continues to keep a menacing hold over the ruins of the once great kingdom, awaiting another victim to wander into its clutches.
And so we conclude Princess Irisi's story on that morbid little note. Today, the old kingdom that the young woman had once ruled is now almost completely buried underneath the hots sands of the desert. Only a few bits of debris still protrude from underneath its tomb in the ground, a grim reminder of what the city once was. Very seldom explorers even tread foot near this spot in the barren land; for most of them too have heard legends and fear the curse that permeates around the ruins. For it is believed that when the moon is full and hangs high over the desert, Miss Irisi wanders and lies in wait for another traveler to claim as her victim.
And so my dear friends, we now draw a curtain to our little gallery of the supernatural within the mansion. We do hope that you drop by again soon and admire these "charming" works of art. Their subjects' often get so lonely trapped in the canvas without any visitors. Do hurry back to the Gallery of the Macabre, and tell your friends. They'll be just dying to meet you.
Once again, I want to extend a big thank you to my girlfriend Aquarian Wolf for all her help with sharing her editing skills on this story. I hope you all enjoyed the story.